EUROPEAN COUNCIL STRONGLY CONDEMNS THE FORCED LANDING OF RYANAIR FLIGHT IN MINSK

USPA NEWS - "Tonight we will have the occasion to tackle international topics and especially Belarus will be on the agenda. What happened yesterday is an international scandal. Lives of European civilians were at risk yesterday. This is not acceptable and it is why we put the debate on sanctions on the table of the European Council. We are preparing different options, different possible measures and I hope tonight we can take decisions on that." Charles Michels President of European Council stated, on the doorstep in Brussels, as the twenty wight leaders are tackling this ht topic of « Belarus Hijacking » of the Ryanair civilian flight by Belarus, forced to land in Minsk“¦.« The European Council strongly condemns the forced landing of a Ryanair flight in Minsk, Belarus, on 23 May 2021 endangering aviation safety, and the detention by Belarusian authorities of journalist Raman Pratasevich and Sofia Sapega. We publish the full text if the official statement released by the European COUncil, on 24th of May.

EUROPEAN COUNCIL STATEMENT 24 MAY 2021------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ « The European Council strongly condemns the forced landing of a Ryanair flight in Minsk, Belarus, on 23 May 2021 endangering aviation safety, and the detention by Belarusian authorities of journalist Raman Pratasevich and Sofia Sapega. The European Council: - demands the immediate release of Raman Pratasevich and Sofia Sapega and that their freedom of movement be guaranteed; - calls on the International Civil Aviation Organization to urgently investigate this unprecedented and unacceptable incident; - invites the Council to adopt additional listings of persons and entities as soon as possible on the basis of the relevant sanctions framework; - calls on the Council to adopt further targeted economic sanctions and invites the High Representative and the Commission to submit proposals without delay to this end; - calls on all EU-based carriers to avoid overflight of Belarus; - calls on the Council to adopt the necessary measures to ban overflight of EU airspace by Belarusian airlines and prevent access to EU airports of flights operated by such airlines; - stands in solidarity with Latvia following the unjustified expulsion of Latvian diplomats. The European Council will remain seized of the matter. " Source: European Council,